A Harmonic Minor Scale on Guitar
The A harmonic minor scale is A, B, C, D, E, F and G#. It is A natural minor with one change: G is raised to G#, a half step below the root, which creates a leading tone.
That G# also makes the chord on the 5th degree a major E, a pull toward A minor that natural minor lacks. Ring the open A string for the root, and find it again on the 5th fret of the low E string. To place the scale among others, see mixing major and minor modes.
Play the A harmonic minor scale
Use the step menu in the player to switch between the single-string run and the box shapes.
Notes of the A harmonic minor scale
| Note | Degree | Interval | Semitones from root |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | Root | 0 |
| B | 2 | Major 2nd | 2 |
| C | b3 | Minor 3rd | 3 |
| D | 4 | Perfect 4th | 5 |
| E | 5 | Perfect 5th | 7 |
| F | b6 | Minor 6th | 8 |
| G# | 7 | Major 7th | 11 |
Structure
A harmonic minor scale notes:
How the harmonic minor scale is built:
The harmonic minor scale is built from the degrees 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7, which gives the step pattern W-H-W-W-H-W+H-H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Counting in semitones from the root: 0, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11. That makes it a 7-note scale.
It is the parent scale of its own modal family.
It is also known as Aeolian Maj 7.
A Harmonic Minor Scale Guitar Patterns
Static diagrams of every position shown in the player above.
On one string (A)
Box pattern — position 1
Box pattern — position 2
Box pattern — position 3
Box pattern — position 4
Box pattern — position 5
3 notes per string — position 1
3 notes per string — position 2
3 notes per string — position 3
3 notes per string — position 4
3 notes per string — position 5
Chords in the A harmonic minor scale
Stacking thirds on each degree of the scale gives these chords.
Related modes
These scales share the same notes as the harmonic minor scale, starting from a different degree.
The harmonic minor scale in other keys
Created by
Giancarlo is a musician (teaching guitar since 2000), software engineer, AI consultant and published researcher
